Effect of Vitamin A, Zinc and Vitamin E Supplementation on Immune Response in Seropositive Leprosy Subjects
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3923/pjn.2016.40.44Keywords:
IL-2, interferon-y, leprosy seropositive, vitamin A, vitamin E, zincAbstract
The immune response plays an important role in leprosy prevention. Here we analyzed the effect of vitamin A, zinc and vitamin E supplementation on the immune response in seropositive leprosy patients by measuring serum levels of retinol, zinc, α-tocopherol, interferon gamma (IFN-γ) and interleukin-2 (IL-2). Subjects were randomly divided into either the treatment or control group. The treatment group received high dose vitamin A once and a daily dose of Zn and vitamin E supplementation for 45 days, while the control group received pills that were identical in appearance but lacked supplements. Supplement consumption compliance was recorded weekly. After 45 days of supplementation, IFN-γ and IL-2 levels were measured again. Upon study initiation both groups had normal retinol, zinc and α-tocopherol serum levels. After 45 days, serum levels of retinol and α-tocopherol increased only in the supplementation group (p = 0.046 and p = 0.033, respectively), while zinc serum levels decreased in both the supplementation (p = 0.001) and placebo (p = 0.000) groups. IFN-γ levels decreased slightly in the supplementation group, although the change was not significant (p = 0.098). Meanwhile, IFN-γ levels in the control group decreased significantly (p = 0.022). IL-2 levels decreased slightly in both the supplementation and placebo groups, but the changes were not significant (p = 0.421 and p = 0.556, respectively). Together our results indicate that supplementation with zinc and vitamins A and E could be a useful alternative therapy for maintaining immune response of seropositive leprosy patients.
References
Agrewala, J.N., B. Kumar and H. Vohra, 1998. Potential role of B7-1 and CD28 molecules in immunosuppression in leprosy. Clin. Exp. Immunol., 111: 56-63.
Bao, B., A.S. Prasad, F.W.J. Beck, D. Snell and A. Suneja et al., 2008. Zinc supplementation decreases oxidative stress, incidence of infection and generation of inflammatory cytokines in sickle cell disease patients. Trans. Res., 152: 67-80.
Chattree, V., N. Khanna and D.N. Rao, 2007. Alterations in T cell signal transduction by M. leprae antigens is associated with downregulation of second messengers PKC, calcium, calcineurin, MAPK and various transcription factors in leprosy patients. Mol. Immunol., 44: 2066-2077.
Cousins, R.J., R.K. Blanchard, M.P. Popp, L. Liu, J. Cao, J.B. Moore and C.L. Green, 2003. A global view of the selectivity of zinc deprivation and excess on genes expressed in human THP-1 mononuclear cells. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA., 100: 6952-6957.
Engin, K.N., 2009. Alpha-tocopherol: Looking beyond an antioxidant. Mol. Vision, 15: 855-860.
IZiNCG., 2007. Determining the risk of zinc deficiency: Assessment of dietary zinc intake. Technical Brief No. 3, International Zinc Nutrition Consultative Group (IZincG), USA.
Kassu, A., T. Yabutani, Z.H. Mahmud, A. Mohammad and N. Nguyen et al., 2006. Alterations in serum levels of trace elements in tuberculosis and HIV infections. Eur. J. Clin. Nutr., 60: 580-586.
Lima, E.S., I.A. de Roland, M.F. Maroja and J.L. Marcon, 2007. Vitamin a and lipid peroxidation in patients with different forms of leprosy. Rev. Inst. Med. Trop. Sao Paulo, 49: 211-214.
Pinheiro, R.O., J.S. Salles, E.N. Sarno and E.P. Sampaio, 2011. Mycobacterium leprae-host-cell interactions and genetic determinants in leprosy: An overview. Future Microbiol., 6: 217-230.
Prasad, A.S., 2007. Zinc: Mechanisms of host defense. J. Nutr., 137: 1345-1349.
Prasad, A.S., 2013. Discovery of human zinc deficiency: Its impact on human health and disease. Adv. Nutr., 4: 176-190.
Rahfiludin, M.Z., B. Wirjatmadi, I. Agusni and Y.P. Dahlan, 2011. Zinc supplementation could modulate T cell to maintain interleukin-2 level in seropositive contact of leprosy patients. Med. J. Ind., 20: 201-204.
Schalcher, T.R., R.S. Borges, M.D. Coleman, J.B. Junior and C.G. Salgado et al., 2014. Clinical oxidative stress during leprosy multidrug therapy: impact of dapsone oxidation. Plos One, Vol. 9.
Scollard, D.M., L.B. Adams, T.P. Gillis, J.L. Krahenbuhl, R.W. Truman and D.L. Williams, 2006. The continuing challenges of leprosy. Clin. Microbiol. Rev., 19: 338-381.
Trimbake, S.B., A.N. Sontakke and V.V. Dhat, 2013. Oxidative stress and antioxidant vitamins in leprosy. Int. J. Res. Med. Sci., 1: 226-229.
Vazquez, C.M.P., R.S.M. Netto, K.B.F. Barbosa, T.R. de Moura, R.P. de Almeida, M.S. Duthie and A.R. de Jesus, 2014. Micronutrients influencing the immune response in leprosy. Nutr. Hosp., 29: 26-36.
Vijayaraghavan, R., C.S. Suribabu, B. Sekar, P.K. Oommen, S.N. Kavithalakshmi, N. Madhusudhanan and C. Panneerselvam, 2005. Protective role of vitamin E on the oxidative stress in Hansen's disease (Leprosy) patients. Eur. J. Clin. Nutr., 59: 1121-1128.
WHO., 2012. Weekly epidemiological record: Global leprosy situation. World Health Organ., 87: 317-328.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2016 Asian Network for Scientific Information
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
